Winners of the Coconut Bliss Giveaway!!!

Ladies and gentleladies (yeah I don't think any men participated this time) I now present the winners of the Blissfully Coconutty Coconut Bliss Giveaway....

*trumpets*

HEATHER and MEGHNA!!!

*applause*

CONGRATULATIONS ladies!! Send me your postal addresses on Etsy and your Coconut Bliss Ice Cream coupons will be on their way to you! :)

Sweet, Sweet, Sweet V Confections

I originally wrote this review for the awesome Vegan Cupcake Thursday blog which is run by my dear friend Roni of Daisywares (my TOP FAVORITE store for amazing vegan bath and body products!! She makes gorgeous vegan jewelry too).

Even though this Sweet V Confections review has already been posted on Vegan Cupcake Thursday, I wanted to share it here on my blog too because this is a store which deserves to be featured many times at multiple places. :)




So there it was, a pretty, pink, striped bakery box. I was thrilled that it had arrived in the mail so quickly after the order had been placed! The packaging was so lovely that I almost didn't want to open it right away... almost. But the thought of the goodies inside overtook my power of restraint and before I knew it, I was looking at a delectable collection of tempting concoctions from Sweet V Confections.



I know this is a cupcake themed blog, but first I must speak of the most delightful surprise treat in the package... The Puppy Chow! "Peanut buttery, chocolatey goodness with a crunch!" that's what the description claims and I most definitely concur! Just talking about these little bursts of glee is making me crave some right now so please bear with me while I run to my fridge and pop some into my mouth.

*crunch* *munch* There! That hit the spot. :)

Now, where were we? Oh yes, the cupcake. The variety I got the was the Red Velvet Cupcake. These cupcakes are a sight to behold! Such a beautiful, rich, deep red color (obtained by using natural, beet based food coloring). The fluffy icing came in a little box on the side. I just scooped up spoonfuls of it and piled it onto the cake before wolfing it down. These cupcakes are delectably moist and could be thoroughly enjoyed even without the icing.



The other goodies I ordered were the Vanilla Shortbread Sandwiches and the Fudge Filled Sandwich Cookies. I can't decide which one I like more. They're so darned good! Each bite is like a little piece of heaven. I highly recommend them!

Kristen (the awesome lady behind Sweet V Confections) also included some extra surprise goodies in the package, like the Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups (SO much better than plain peanut butter cups!) and the Vegan Chocolate Fudge. Both of them exceptionally yummy!



If you're anything like me, I know what you're thinking now... there are so many options at this store, it's hard to decide which one to pick. Well don't you worry about that. Just go for the Sinfully Sweet Vegan Variety Sampler and you will *not* be disappointed! If there's anything particular that you want included in the sampler, all you need to do is send Kristen a convo about it. She is really friendly and approachable.

Sweet V Confections has been included in the Vegnews Mag's 2010 Veggie Awards Poll under the "Best Online Bakery" category. I'd request you to vote for her, but once you have tasted these delicious baked goods, I'm confident you will want to do so without having to be asked at all. :)

Signing off,
- Susmitha :) (Veganosaurus)

Blissfully Coconutty Coconut Bliss review and giveaway

I've been having a hard time writing this review and it's not for the lack of words to describe the delectable goodness of Coconut Bliss organic coconut milk ice creams. It's just that each time I've begun to write this blog post, I've had the overwhelming urge to run to the freezer and help myself to large dollops of these scrumptious drops of heaven!! (Imagine my plight when I was in the process of clicking these pictures)!

Coconut Bliss... what a perfect name Luna and Larry (the blessed souls behind this brilliant idea of turning coconut milk into ice cream) have come up with. In my opinion, adding a couple more 'S'es at the end would've better expressed the true effects of these ice creams... Blissss. *Ahhhhh*

When I wanted to do this review, the kind people at Coconut Bliss sent me coupons for four free pints of their ice creams. Two for me and two to share. :)

***

For myself, I decided to get the Naked Coconut and Pineapple Coconut flavors. I even shared some with DH, purely out of the kindness of my heart (any coconut karma points I happened to gain in the process were purely unintentional *blinks innocently*).

First, let me tell you about the Naked Coconut flavor.

I tasted it for the first time when I was here in the US last year and fell in love immediately! Normally, when I get a chance to try something out for free, I pick a flavor I've never tasted before. But Naked Coconut is sooooo awesome that I couldn't help but get one this time too!

When you open the cap of a new pint of Naked Coconut, the fresh, untouched ice cream looks just like snow. Sweet, delicious snow. I suggest that you do not bend over the container while opening the cap, you'd risk droolifying the ice cream.

Let the ice cream sit outside for a few minutes before you start eating it to truly experience the optimum level of creaminess and flavor.

Delicious organic coconut milk is blended with pure organic agave nectar to give it just the right level of sweetness. And it's loaded with dry coconut flakes for a delightful texture! Each spoonful is simply divine.

Coconut Bliss ice creams come in many flavors but Naked Coconut is hands down the best of the lot! Last week I noticed in the freezer section of the nearest grocery that they have Coconut Bliss bars now and Naked Coconut is one of the two flavors!! Boy am I buying me some of that action the next time I'm at the store. :D

Now, let's move on to Pineapple Coconut.

Even though I love fruits, I'm generally not a fan of most fruit flavored ice creams. They're either too tangy or too essence-y for my tastes. But I decided to be adventurous and grab the Pineapple Coconut this time. And it turned out to be an excellent decision. :)

Here's the beauty of this ice cream, it contains only pure, organic pineapple fruit and juice. Absolutely no artificial ('artificial' almost feels like a dirty word in this post) pineapple essence! This makes a whole world of difference to the taste. It's like Naked Coconut with just the slightest hint of pineapple in it. A very palatable combination.

Pineapple Coconut is quite a yummy flavor so I do recommend it. But make sure you get the Naked Coconut before all else. :D

Coconut Bliss ice creams might seem a tad on the expensive side when you compare prices with the regular vegan ice creams out there, but they are worth every single penny! And this is not only because they taste so good but also because they are made of completely organic, natural and healthy ingredients. They're vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and have a low glycemic index. And what's more, they're committed to sustainability and fair trade to the maximum extent possible.

***

Finally, let's get to the juiciest part of this post... The Giveaway! :)

This giveaway applies to people in the USA ONLY (my apologies to international readers) because Coconut Bliss is available only in the US and Canada but they are unable to generate coupons for Canada yet.

Here's how YOU could win yourself a free pint of Coconut Bliss:

There are various ways to participate (listed below) and each thing you do counts as one entry. The first one is mandatory but the rest of them are completely up to you! But make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry.

1. Tell me which is your favorite Coconut Bliss product (or if you haven't tasted any yet, which flavor you would like to try the most).

2. Follow Coconut Bliss on Twitter.

3. "Like" Coconut Bliss on Facebook.

4. Follow this blog.

5. Follow Veganosaurus on Twitter.

6. Follow Art by Susmitha on Twitter.

7. Write a blog entry on your blog about this giveaway with a link to this blog post.

8. Post about this giveaway on your facebook with a link to this blog post.

9. Tweet to @veganosaurus about this giveaway with a link to this blog post. (This can be done as many times as you like throughout the giveaway and each time will be considered as an additional entry).

Just remember, leave a separate comment here for every entry. Also, leave your e-mail id or etsy id in your first comment for me to be able to contact you in case you win.

This giveaway will be open until the 26th of August (exactly two weeks from today). After that, TWO winners will be chosen with the help of a random number generator. I will post the results here.

Winners, I'll contact you by means of the contact details you have left me here, get your snail mail addresses and mail you one coupon each for a pint of Coconut Bliss ice cream. You can claim the coupon at a grocery store near you which sells these ice creams (I got mine from Whole Foods). You get to pick any flavor you like.

So wish you all the very best! LET THE GAMES BEGIN! :D

***

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE! :)

Red Quinoa Pilaf

I just tasted red quinoa for the first time and I must say that it is a gazillion times more delicious than regular quinoa, in terms of flavor AND texture! I fell in love with it at first crunch! When they coined the term "manna from heaven", I have no doubts that this delectable, nutrient-rich South American seed-grain is precisely what they were talking about.

I've put together this dish with red quinoa and vegetables and for the lack of a better term I'm referring to it as Pilaf (apparently the most commonly prepared quinoa dish by people all over the net world).



1 C Red Quinoa
2-3 C Mixed veggies - Edamame, Zucchini, Broccoli florets, chopped Carrots (an exotic grain such as this is deserving of only the finest vegetables)
2 Serrano Peppers (or Green Chillies) halved lengthwise
2 T Peanut oil (preferable the unrefined, expeller pressed variety if available)
1/2 t Garlic paste
Mixed spices - Turmeric powder, ground Coriander, ground Cumin, crushed Pepper
Salt
Freshly squeezed lime juice from half a large lime or one small lime.

Rinse the quinoa well through a finely meshed sieve or a cheesecloth.
Bring 2 C of water to boil in a wide pan, add a large pinch of salt and the washed quinoa.
Reduce heat to its lowest, cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, until the quinoa has absorbed all the water (lift the lid and check only after the 15 minutes, otherwise precious steam will escape and slow down the cooking process).
Turn off flame, fluff the quinoa with a fork and let it sit covered for a few more minutes.

Meanwhile, place all the vegetables (including the chillies) in a microwave safe glass dish.
Splash in the peanut oil and toss well.
Cook uncovered in the microwave for 5 minutes on high.
Add the spices, garlic paste and salt and mix well.
Cook uncovered for 3 minutes on high.

Transfer the cooked quinoa over the veggies and mix together with a fork.
Cook covered for 2 minutes.
Uncover and cook for 1 more minute.

Squeeze the lime juice over everything and mix well with a fork.
Serve this crunchy and delicious Red Quinoa Pilaf hot.

Winner of the Name the Monsters Giveaway.

When I started this giveaway I thought I'd be choosing a winner myself but all the entries are so clever and cute, it was really difficult to just pick one as the best. So I assigned each monster name a number in the order of entry, and let an online random number generator do the job for me.



And the winner is... *trumpets*

Lazlo by Kala of Vegancraftastic!

Congratulations Kala!! :)

Please send me a convo at my main etsy store with your mailing address. Your surprise Tiny Terrarium Cyclops Monster will be on his/her way to you soon. :)